Quick Summery

A few easy ways to tweak winterdrinks for the heat

A Greenwich Sour Photo: JOEL VEAK

We love a nice summery drink when we’re sipping on the beach, double-fisting at barbecues, or hanging on the front porch as much as the next guy in jorts. But for many of us, it’s during the colder, darker winter months that the best drinking is to be found. Trouble is, you don’t want to break out the hot Scotches, fortifying brandies, robust red wines, or heavy porters when it’s sweltering out. So we found a few options that summerize favorite winter drinks. Think of it like putting your favorite tipple in a bikini and taking it to the beach — although not as weird as that sounds.

You Like: A Rich Burgundy
Try: A Royal Plush

Rosé
Prosecco

Add ice to a Collins glass and fill it halfway with rosé; then top with prosecco. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

• The traditional Royal Plush already summerizes a rich Burgundy red by pouring it over ice and topping it with sparkling wine. But you can take it one step further, says Back Deck general manager Mark Corcoran, by subbing in a light, crisp rosé and garnishing it with a sprig of mint to make the seasonal aromatics pop.

You Like: Whiskey Cocktails
Try: A Blackberry-Ginger Cocktail

1½ oz. of Woodford Reserve bourbon
½ oz. of simple syrup
2 blackberries
3–4 mint leaves
1–2 oz. of Gosling’s ginger beer
A squeeze of lemon

In a cocktail glass, muddle the mint, blackberries, simple syrup, and squeeze of lemon together. Fill glass with ice and add the Woodford Reserve. Top off with the ginger beer.

• There’s nothing like whiskey to warm you up in winter. And there are plenty of time-tested ways to lighten up your favorite bourbons for the summer, says Paul McAvoy of Del Frisco’s. Whiskey smashes, mint juleps, and Old Fashioneds all make for great summer drinking. But here’s a refreshing take that evokes a winter-worthy ginger flavor.

You Like: Applejack
Try: The Pink Lady

1½ oz. of London dry gin
1 oz. of applejack
½ oz. of grenadine
¾ oz. of lemon juice
Egg white

Dry shake all ingredients, and then add ice and shake again. Double strain into a small chilled wine glass or cocktail glass.

• Applejack is traditionally associated with winter. Not only was it long made by freeze distillation, but it shows up in a number of toddies and ’nogs in the winter as well. Plus, it pairs nicely with spice and is quaffable warm, says Russell House Tavern’s Sam Gabrielli. Here the botanicals from the gin and the citrus notes substitute for the wintry spice you might typically mix in.

You Like: Drinking on Thanksgiving
Try: Thanksgiving In July

2 oz. of dark rum
½ oz. of cranberry shrub
½ oz. of cranberry juice
½ of a rosemary sprig
A pinch of pumpkin spice
A pinch of allspice
Freshly squeezed lemon to taste

Shake and serve over ice. Garnish with an orange peel candied with brown sugar.

• Wember Castillo, bartender at the Alley Bar at Rowes Wharf, is doing summery versions of a bunch of winter staples, like a hot toddy served over ice with Scotch, honey simple syrup, and lemon and a chilled butter rum done with dark rum, brown-sugar simple syrup, and butterscotch and cinnamon liqueurs. But if you ask us, this recipe packs the most cold-weather flavor in a glass.

You Like: Cabernet
Try: A Greenwich Sour

2 oz. of rye or bourbon
¾ oz. of lemon juice
¾ oz. of simple syrup
½ oz. of cabernet

Shake the whiskey, syrup, and juice with ice. Strain into a double Old Fashioned glass filled with fresh ice (or serve up in a chilled cocktail glass). Float wine over the top.

• A whiskey sour is a natural fit for the summer, but let’s say you’ve got a bottle of robust cabernet you didn’t get around to finishing. No problem, says Sam Gabrielli of Russell House Tavern. “Adding a deep, rich, and dry red wine as a float on a whiskey sour, which becomes a Greenwich Sour, is an awesome way to utilize that big cabernet you can’t seem to drink during those hot summer nights. It allows the oak and fruit characteristics of the cabernet to play along with the refreshing whiskey classic.” It’s like sangria for a man’s man — but please, don’t call it man-gria.

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